POLL | Should Gavin decline or accept the CFR invite ?

[Hippie Tech]

Main thread : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=412846.0

This poll will remain open until February 6, the day of the meeting.

Please do your own research on the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), its members and the other groups/ clubs they belong to, before participating in this non-binding poll.

pEACe

HT xD

UPDATE

With only a few more days to go before the meeting, I here by declare my opinion poll, a resounding success.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=418110.0

While it may appear that we, who oppose this collaboration with these indignants have lost, we have in fact won !

WE ARE THE 33% ! .. and counting..

WE represent the 90% of the world's population who do not have the resources and/or the capability to participate.

WE represent the enslaved, war torn peoples of the world.

WE, the real majority, WILL DEMAND JUSTICE !

VERITAS AEQUITAS !

So be it.

pEACe

[HairyMaclairy]

Leave the poor guy alone !

[exocytosis]

I find it strange how he and some others in the Bitcoin Foundation seemingly seek approval from the powers that be. Satoshi's original vision was clearly anarchist or libertarian. Isn't Bitcoin supposed to undermine the current monetary system? Isn't Bitcoin supposed to take power away from the banksters and their lackeys -- the politicians? Would Satoshi break bread with the CIA and the CFR?

An open CFR meeting might be okay, but this one's supposed to be closed.

[billyjoeallen]

One does not simply decline an invitation from the CFR. That would be like declining to pay your taxes.

[ascalon]

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

[franky1]

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

+1

[Holliday]

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

+1

[Hippie Tech]

I find it strange how he and some others in the Bitcoin Foundation seemingly seek approval from the powers that be. Satoshi's original vision was clearly anarchist or libertarian. Isn't Bitcoin supposed to undermine the current monetary system? Isn't Bitcoin supposed to take power away from the banksters and their lackeys -- the politicians? Would Satoshi break bread with the CIA and the CFR?

An open CFR meeting might be okay, but this one's supposed to be closed.

I decided not to include the, 'accept - if the meeting is transparent', option because an open meeting can easily be staged and manipulated.

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

While that is true, the Crypto community also has right to express how they feel about those descisions.

[Bitware]

The aristocracy has summoned Gavin. Surely its a hefty penalty not to obey your rulers summons.

[TheButterZone]

This poll won't keep him from going. However, here's where the poll could be good...

CFR chairperson: And now we'd like to welcome Gavin Andresen, lead bitcoin developer, to speak about the leading cryptocurrency and blah blah blah.

Gavin: "Thank you chairperson, and thank you CFR councilors. Let me start out by saying, there was a poll on the main bitcoin web forum about whether I should accept or decline your invitation to speak today, and 50% thought you were all enemies of humankind and should be punished accordingly..." [casually pours some water out of the pitcher, and take a sip, looking wistfully off in the distance, exhaling] "Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer payment system and digital currency introduced as open source software in 2009 by pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto..."

[b!z]

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

That is true. The users are the true decision makers, not the developers.

[LightRider]

Actually, if we devote over half of all bitcoin network hashing power to making Gavin NOT go, then we can totally pull off a denial of conference attack. And even if he does somehow make it to the meeting, we can double spend his time so that he would actually unappear and spend his time somewhere else like enjoying time with family or fixing 51% attacks-...wait...that would retroactively make it so that he DID go to the meeting, making it so that we COULDN'T doubletimespend his appearance, making it so that he COULDN'T fix the 51% attack thus ending the universe...

This is really bad you guys.

[guybrushthreepwood]

He should go, but just march in, drop his trousers and squeeze out a steamer right in front of them, then pick up his stuff and leave.

Actually, don't do that. Go and see what they have to say.

[cfrm]

What a stupid poll. He is free to do whatever he wishes and of course he should go and speak Bitcoins case. I have no doubt some people after the meeting will be more positive towards Bitcoins, so not going would be stupid.

[exocytosis]

I have no doubt some people after the meeting will be more positive towards Bitcoins, so not going would be stupid.

Why would they be more positive?

[mtnminer]

We need someone like Gavin speaking to them and giving intelligent, educated answers.  Most often fear is born from ignorance!

Mtnminer

[kwest]

Whatever your opinion of the members of the CfR... it would be insanely stupid to not go.
Keep your friends close and all of that.

Note: This reply does NOT insinuate that I think the CfR is our enemy. But some people here definitely have that view, and IMO even they should be able to see the benefit of going.

[Lauda]

Clicking the decline button, means that you're paranoid.
Let him decide.

[JohnsonRobinson]

By playing his current roll in Bitcoin development, Gavin has a major responsibility to the Bitcoin community, which wants to see Bitcoin flourish, yes for their own good, but also for the good of everyone / the masses.

The CFR is not a "greater good" organization...in fact, they're amongst the best example of the worst moral position that there is for a group...Limited Utilitarianism.   

According to Limited Utilitarianism, an action is right when it brings about as much happiness for your group as any available alternative.  In short, helping them understand Bitcoin just makes it more likely that they'll somehow coopt it/weaponize it against us.

[BTCisthefuture]

IMO it's always a good thing to have someone from the bitcoin community (especially someone with as much knowledge as Gavin)  to try to educate people on the virtues of bitcoin.

I would argue it's even better if they talk about the benefits of bitcoin to someone you don't like or someone who might be anti bitcoin, because it's those people who need the most education on bitcoin.

Never anything wrong with talking about bitcoin.